Roy set to end England contract to play in US

|| CF DESK ||

To participate in Major League Cricket's debut season in July, Jason Roy will terminate his contract with England. The 32-year-old opener would be the first member of the England team to sever relations with the national team in order to pursue franchise prospects.

Roy will still be free to play for England, and his selection is not expected to be hampered by the decision. He will compete for Surrey in the Blast and Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.

Roy has played a significant role in England's domination of the international white-ball game. He was a regular member of the team that won the 50-over world championship in 2019.

He was, however, removed from the team that won the T20 World Cup due to a decline in form, and in October, his primary contract was lowered to an incremental agreement paying between £60,000 and £70,000.

Roy may have been told to take a break by England given that Major League Cricket was scheduled to take place between the T20 Blast and The Hundred and that India would be hosting the 50-over World Cup's defense in October and November.

Though there is some overlap with the Blast, it is understood Roy will remain with Surrey if they reach finals day, before returning to play for the Invincibles in The Hundred in August.

Roy has played five Tests, 116 one-day internationals and 64 T20s for England, scoring almost 6,000 international runs.

His decision is the latest in a fast-changing landscape of global cricket, with the money on offer to players in franchise leagues challenging the primacy of international matches.

In response, England plans to update its central contract system, adding more flexibility and perhaps increasing the amount of money available.

To prevent players from being drawn to franchise leagues, some players can be given multi-year contracts.

To make England trips more financially appealing than a time playing in a league, tiny retainer contracts with increased match fees may be made available to white-ball specialists.